Page 91 of Akur

There was no time for manuals, no time for training. But she didn’t need them. Right now, she just needed to make something go away. Preferably in pieces.

Through the viewscreen, she could see Akur still fighting. Even wounded, even dying, he was magnificent. His remaining good arm caught a Hedgerud by the throat, hurling the creature into its companions. But there were so many, and more kept coming.

“Come on, come on,” she muttered as she pushed the yoke. It wasn’t perfect. The targeting reticles didn’t pick up the lifeforms below. Maybe because they weren’t designed to fire on living beings.

“Fuck.” Her heart was hammering so hard she couldn’t think straight over the sound of her own pulse in her ears. “Fuck!” It took her a moment to realize that though the cannons weren’t picking up the damned gator-guards or the Tasqals, they were picking up the other ships.

Glancing up, she mapped two of the closest ships and dragged the yoke to target between them.

“LIFTOFF UNDERWAY.”

“Cancel.” Her heart thudded even harder as she watched Akur fall on one knee, a Hedgerud’s blade stuck in his side. Way off, still near the lift, the High Tasqals still stood watching the show. Some were even looking at the ship slowly rising with her inside. She saw the moment one gestured toward it. The moment when several of those gator-guards changed focus and headed her way.

“Cancel! Cancel liftoff and fire!”

The targeting system responded sluggishly. Too slow. Too slow! A warning sound blared—and the damned launch sequence began counting down. No! If she didn’t override it soon, the ship would take off without him.

Finally, the weapons came online. Twin cannons, it seemed. She doubted they were meant for firing indoors. That would only matter if she cared. Pushing the yoke, she grunted at the pain in her hands. The targeting display landed between the two ships in front. “Yes!” But the Hedgeruds were so close to Akur…

She hesitated for a split second, terrified of hitting him.

In that moment, she saw him look up at the ship. Hardly recognizable except for those golden eyes. Even through the wounds, the blood, the exhaustion, his eyes found hers. And in them she saw everything—strength, determination, and something else. Something that made her heart clench with sudden understanding.

This warrior from another world who’d protected her, fought for her, been willing to die for her…she couldn’t lose him. Not like this.

Her finger stabbed the firing control.

The cannons roared to life, their blue-white beams cutting through the air. Immediately, it was clear as day that this wasn’t a weapon to be used in such an enclosed space. The first set of gator-guards it hit exploded in a rain of guts and blood.

Her brows dove, teeth grit as she stabbed the controls again. Bodies flew as explosions rocked the landing bay. The yoke vibrated as she pulled back, sweeping the beams in arcs, creating a perimeter around Akur while desperately trying to avoid him.

The auto-launch sequence blared another warning as the ship swayed, destabilizing her. The cannon fire swerved, eating up the wall as the High Tasqals tried to run for cover.

“No! You don’t get to run!Fuck you!” She regained her footing and targeted them next.

“Override!” she shouted at the computer. “Cancel launch!”

Time slowed down. All her fear, all her anger, all her hatred came gushing right through her. Blue-white fire lit up the Tasqals’ elaborate robes as they scattered like insects. Their bodies popped like mighty fluid-filled bags. Several didn’t make it to cover in time. Good. Let them feel what it was like to be hunted.

The ship lurched again, rising higher. Through the chaos of smoke and weapons fire, she saw Akur stagger as two gator-guards threw themselves on him.

Come on. Something had to work!

“Lower landing ramp!” The command came out in a desperate shout as she kept firing, cutting down everything that was moving.

“RAMP DESCENDING.”

The ramp began descending agonizingly slowly, but the ship was still rising.

Shit.

The ship lurched higher, metal groaning as the ramp opened. Therewas a heavy thump and when she looked back, all she could see was a dark claw as it dug into the metal. A gator-guard was trying to pull himself up on the ramp. Yellow eyes met hers as his snout appeared, a hateful smile. Through the smoke-filled chaos below, a teal arm appeared over the snout a moment before the guard was suddenly ripped backward. Akur. His body seemed to buckle as two guards threw themselves on him, golden eyes meeting hers one last time before disappearing under their weight.

The scream that tore from her throat felt like it drew blood as the ship spun and she fired wildly, but the ship’s movement threw off her aim. Energy beams carved molten streaks across the hangar walls.

A grinding shriek of metal cut through the din. Emergency lights flashed as something massive struck the ship’s hull. The entire vessel listed sideways, sending her sprawling across the console. Warning alarms blared.

“HULL INTEGRITY AT SEVENTY-ONE PERCENT. EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS ENGAGED.”

---